Chapter 783: Act 135 – Breaking the Cocoon II
Freya watched as Brendel instinctively turned his head, but suddenly it seemed as if someone had pushed him from behind, thrusting his chest forward. A blood-stained silver spike pierced through his armor, and Brendel let out a muffled groan, his eyes widening as if he had taken a heavy blow. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to her, but as soon as he did, blood mixed with froth erupted from the corner of his mouth, flowing from the pierced lung.
“Don’t—!” Although she had witnessed the crossing of life and death on the battlefield many times before, this time was different; this time, she was the commander, and the lives of everyone were in her hands—Brendel’s trust in her, an unremarkable commander, was rewarded with nothing but the coldness of death.
Everything was because of her decision.
This was wrong.
She clearly saw that the silver monster gathered behind Brendel like mercury, first taking shape in the torso, then the head. In the blink of an eye, it was fully formed, and on that featureless silver face, a crescent-shaped gaping mouth seemed to mock her silently—mocking the commander’s foolishness and weakness. She had warned him, but it was still a moment too late, just a little bit late.
The pale and serene face of the deceased Lise, the burning village among the pine mountains, and the Brendel, covered in blood and glaring at her— all the scenes seemed to overlap before her eyes.
“Monster!”
“Monster—!” Freya felt her blood freeze, her body instinctively and stiffly withdrawing her long sword. The duty of the commander was already cast aside in her mind; she felt like a warrior who was painfully aware of the burning on her face, wanting to sacrifice her life for revenge for her companions, to make up for her own shame.
But at that moment, a roar erupted, overpowering her voice.
“Monster!” she heard Arleigh— the rough fellow who had always seemed to be at odds with Brendel— as he bellowed, his eyes filled with bloodlust. Without a second thought, he elbowed the giant wolf charging at him away and turned back, swinging his sword towards the silver monster, roaring, “You damned beast!”
This scene seemed to freeze before her, slow down, and stretch, bringing her back to clarity. Only she, as the commander, had the duty to remain rational when everyone else could be blinded by rage.
Day after day, she recalled her time studying at the Royal Knight Academy, remembering the tall figure who opened the door to another world for her. She came from the countryside of Buche, a clumsy girl who had entered that previously unheard-of and unimaginable place as a recommended student, filled with fear and unease. While everyone around her shone with brilliance, she had to strive to memorize the knowledge that others took for granted because of their excellence, and she had to work doubly hard. Yet even so, she remained merely the Cinderella cautiously picking up the hem of the princess’s gown behind her.
But she still chose not to give up, or rather, she never dared to give up—
“Nobles will eventually abandon Buche, for the weak have no power of choice.”
“Freya, if you want to change everyone’s fate, you must go to this place.”
That was like a bolt of lightning in the pitch-black night, or perhaps a voice uniquely belonging to her, telling her:
“Freya, you cannot betray your own efforts. You have held on through hundreds of days and nights in the academy, achieving everything you once dared not even dream of.”
You worked harder than anyone else to prove everything that lies before you. You can do it; you are not inferior to anyone. One day, the people of Buche will surely master their destiny and reclaim the land they have lost.
“Brendel…”
The voice that seemed to be a whisper in a dream transformed into a stern command: “Arleigh, I order you to come back!”
Brendel was full of blood, staring at her in shock. He opened his mouth, but it was only a futile effort; he had no strength to voice a sound.
Arleigh’s sword had already swung toward the monster’s right arm.
The sword came down like a hot knife cutting through butter, but it had no effect; as the blade passed, the wound healed as if it had never existed.
The silver monster turned its head, its expression unchanged—or rather, it had no expression—only that gaping mouth, reminiscent of a crack mocking her silently. It let out a hollow, cold laugh, and with a wave of its left hand, a flowing whip of silver metallic fluid swept towards the knight’s neck.
But a black sword suddenly interjected between them.
Ding—the narrow sword blade twisted, causing the liquid metal to crash against the spine of the sword, scattering into countless silver droplets.
Nemeses cleanly sheathed her sword and then turned, looking at Freya with a hint of surprise. The girl from the countryside of Buche flushed, her expression still lingering with guilt and regret, but her bright light brown eyes were now purely determined.
She had seen such an expression in another dream—only when that clumsy little girl struggled to keep up with her peers did she occasionally show such feelings.
“Quick… retreat…”
Brendel finally managed to muster some strength to speak.
“I’ll never leave you behind, you fool, Brendel!” Arleigh replied furiously.
“Protect the commander…” Brendel’s lips moved, seemingly wanting to voice this thought.
Seeing the young knight who could barely speak, Freya felt a surge of sorrow, almost to tears, but she understood she couldn’t afford to lose her composure—not a single bit—there must be a glimmer of hope in desperation; this was a famous saying from “The Preface to the Wardhwarz War.” In this moment, her thoughts raced like lightning, and everything she had memorized in the past became strikingly clear.
“That monster is coming for me—”
“It wants to kill us.”
“But the Pale Son is far from enough.”
“Stay calm, Freya.”
The silver monster withdrew its bloodied right hand from behind Brendel and looked at Arleigh, who was charging at it like a mad dog. Yet, it paid no attention to this lowly human; its gaze remained fixed on Freya—if it had eyes.
Arleigh’s sword struck again as Brendel, released by the monster, knelt weakly, drained of strength.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
“Nemeses, please assist Arleigh!” Freya suddenly whispered.
Nemeses paused slightly, not turning back but still asking, “Are you certain of what you’re doing, Freya?”
“We still have a chance to save Brendel.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“I am certain.”
The lady knight nodded slightly, “You are the commander; I believe in you.” With that, she drew her sword and stepped forward with Arleigh to confront the silver monster from both sides.
Freya opened her mouth, standing in the cold wind, her fingertips turning pale. She never fully understood why Brendel or Nemeses would have such faith in her. There were countless people more outstanding than her in the academy; why had she been chosen among them? Was it merely a game of ugly duckling, or did they see their past selves in her?
None of it was reliable; perhaps Brendel could still be a possibility, but Nemeses was not a boring person—she had inquired about Nemeses’ past, which was outstanding enough to be enviable. If the stars twinkled in the sky, then Nemeses was undoubtedly the brightest one.
Even if Freya was very confident, she couldn’t see any common ground between herself and someone like that, nor could she find anyone better than Brendel besides Nemeses.
She found it hard to believe.
She didn’t understand many things; sometimes she felt that the world was too complicated for her. But thankfully, Freya at least understood one thing.
For her, Buche was one and only.
In just a fleeting moment of confusion, she snapped back to reality; time was running out, and she must make a decision immediately. She raised her head as if gathering all her courage and spoke calmly to issue this command:
“Nemeses, Arleigh, block that monster.” Then she drew a long horn from her waist—the commander’s horn of the Crusian, a testament to the honor of the Sword-Breaking Knights’ Order. Brendel and Xiao Peiluo had entrusted this long horn to her, which itself was a heavy form of trust—Freya did not hesitate, took a deep breath, and blew into it with all her might.
“Woo—”
The horn’s long note echoed through the valley, trembling and distant, as if it contained whispers from ancient times; when the horn resonated through the mountains, it reached not only the wolves in the valley but also the knights fighting alone.
Almost instinctively, they perked their ears to listen.
“Knights of the Sword-Breaking Order, do not fight alone, gather towards me at the valley floor. We unite as one, and there is still a chance of victory.”
A voice echoed in the valley.
The girl’s voice was steady, even beyond her expectations. Before this, she would never have believed she could remain so calm in such a situation.
The young knights of the Sword-Breaking Order fought their foes while looking back, indeed spotting the tattered silver banner among the galloping wolves.
The banner still remained; even with broken swords, they still fought.
The knights roared in unison.
“Retreat? Not a chance! Don’t assume you can command in front of me; who do you think you are?” Only Arleigh continued to roar, “Brendel, hang on! I will save you soon!”
Freya pretended not to hear his words. She focused on the monster, as Arleigh charged at the silver beast like a madman. Nemeses stood by assisting, the lady knight rarely attacking but instead holding back the silver monster’s offensive, as if fulfilling Freya’s commands to protect him while he saved Brendel.
The monster seemed to sense the shift in the battlefield; it lifted its head. Although its face bore no expression, the girl from the countryside of Buche could feel for the first time the anxiety hidden within it.
“Don’t think you can catch me, monster; you’ve lost your chance.”
She glared at it, speaking each word deliberately.
After finishing, she held her makeshift ‘battle flag’ high and turned to retreat toward the valley floor. Among those present, only Nemeses, who had been paying attention to the movements behind her, and the kneeling Brendel noticed this action.
A glimmer of light flashed in the lady knight’s eyes, but Brendel reacted quicker than she could.
“Stop it!” the young knight on the ground seemed to shudder for a moment, suddenly unleashing a desperate roar, “Arleigh, or I’ll sever our friendship!”
Nemeses instinctively wanted to turn, but she had just glanced back when a curtain of mercury-like substance completely separated her from Arleigh.
“Don’t think you can run; the tricks from a thousand years ago won’t work now!”
A cold voice rushed past her and lunged towards Freya.
“Don’t do anything foolish, Freya; do you know what you carry on your shoulders?” The lady knight felt a chill within her heart; she suddenly understood Freya’s true intention, but she hadn’t expected that the girl had learned to deceive her.
In the next moment, the mercury-like curtain had flung her and Arleigh away.
……
PS: I continue to recommend Xiao Hei’s book “Disaster Descends,” it’s on Qidian; just search for it. Ah, and I’m continuing to push forward, by the way, something good happened today. Haha, and it’s a bit related to you all. You’ll know what it is soon.
